


you can get anything you want

by orphan_account



Category: The Goldfinch (2019)
Genre: Alice's Restaurant, M/M, Thanksgiving, some boys indulging in some traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:27:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21594538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: With nothing to do on Thanksgiving, Theo brings out a memory of Thanksgivings before.
Relationships: (IMPLIED), (one sided), Theodore Decker/Boris Pavlikovsky
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	you can get anything you want

“Do they celebrate Thanksgiving in the Ukraine?”

The question had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, interrupting a nice silence between Theo and Boris as they laid on the living room floor, passing around a cigarette. At that point of Thanksgiving Day, they’d finally tired themselves out enough from all the activity. Boris took a drag of the cigarette, thinking over the question the best he could despite the fuzziness of his brain.  
  
“I don’t think so.” Boris replied, passing the cigarette back to Theo. “Didn’t have pilgrims. No need for it.”

Theo hummed around the cigarette, blowing smoke up towards the ceiling. Boris watched his lips, then pretended to stare at the smoke quickly when Theo turned his head to look at him. “What about the other places you’re from? Did they ever celebrate it?”

Boris shrugged and took the cigarette back, drawing more smoke into his lungs. He let it linger in his mouth, imagining something, before blowing it out. “Maybe. My father never wanted to, though.” He shrugged. “Just like any other day for us.”

Another beat of silence followed the conversation while Theo snatched the cigarette away. Boris could see something in his brain start to churn, like he was thinking really hard about something. His brows would furrow and his eyes stayed focused on whatever was in front of him, not moving a bit. Boris declined when the cigarette was offered back to him, and continued to watch as Theo burned almost completely through it while thinking.

When the ashes finally started to touch his fingers, Theo tapped them all away and stood suddenly, dashing upstairs to his room. Boris blinked, and nearly followed before Theo came back. With him was a record. He went to a record player his dad had set up on a shelf by the TV, pulling it out and setting up. With delicacy, he removed the record from its packaging and placed it on the player. He dropped the needle gently on it, and turned it on.  
  
Soft guitar played from its small speakers, a nice melody Boris had never heard. He looked at Theo with a raised brow.

Theo smiled. “It’s a song my mom used to play every Thanksgiving. Well, it’s not a song… it’s like a monologue.” He explained. “Listen.”

Immediately after, the voice of a man started to play on the record alongside the guitar. Theo laid back down on the floor, lighting up another cigarette on his way down. Boris stayed sitting up, bringing his knees to his chest and listening intently.

He didn’t think he had laughed harder in his whole life. Maybe that was because of being under the influence. Maybe it wasn’t. But he had a fun time. Theo and Boris were in stitches by the end of the very, very long song. It was so bizarre, he’d never heard of anything so ridiculous in his life.

When it was over, Theo reached up to turn the record off. “There’s more on the record, but I’ve never actually heard it.” He said, sitting up. He’d burned through at least one other cigarette between starting and finishing. Boris was amazed at his chain smoking habit. “Very funny. You listen to this every time?”  
  
“Every time.” Theo said. The sun was starting to set by now, and the light shined in a way that Boris could see teariness in his eyes. He didn’t understand everything about what happened with Theo’s mother, there were things Theo hadn’t told him yet, and he didn’t push. Often, anyway. But he did know that it was recent. And he knew it had fucked Theo up royally. He didn’t say anything about the connections he was making about the song and the tears, but he kept his smile strong. 

  
“You’ll play it again for me next year?” He asked. Theo nodded, rubbing at one of his eyes. “Yeah. Sure thing.”   
  
Boris reached out and gently placed his hand just _barely_ over Theo’s. The sun set behind them. After somewhat tidying up a little later, they settled in with blankets and pillows on the living room floor, and fell asleep to the sound of the television, the record tucked away into it’s package until next year.

**Author's Note:**

> please tell me other people do this on thanksgiving


End file.
